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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28283319">cellmates</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/masterninjacow/pseuds/masterninjacow'>masterninjacow</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>ATEEZ (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>ATEEZ Storyline Event, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Medieval, F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 23:06:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>17,884</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28283319</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/masterninjacow/pseuds/masterninjacow</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>stuck in jail after stealing a necklace off the princess, what happens when your new cellmate with an impossible escape plan comes along?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>ATEEZ Ensemble/Reader, Jung Wooyoung/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. one.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The jail cell was cold. You shivered violently, breath misting in front of you as you blew out a tired sigh. They had stripped you of all your clothes except a thin beige tank top (that had actually once been white), and ripped tights. Dried blood matted your hair to your forehead, but you couldn’t find it in yourself to care at the moment. It was too damn cold.</p><p>You found yourself wishing that you hadn’t stolen that necklace off of the innocent little princess. The silver glinting against her pale collarbones were just too enticing, the angry grumble of your stomach far too loud. That much silver would’ve cost a fortune; you wouldn’t have had to worry about food for <em>years.</em> Unfortunately, the guard caught you before you had time to make your escape, by effectively knocking a heavy baton over your head. </p><p>And the result of your desperate endeavor? A small, icy jail cell in the farthest and darkest corner of the dungeons. You couldn’t remember the last time you’d seen the sun.</p><p>A life sentence for attempting to ‘harm’ the princess. Oh <em>please,</em> all you really wanted was to go to bed without your belly twisting painfully in hunger. At least they weren’t barbaric enough to hang you for that.</p><p>The thought had tremors running up your spine. Or perhaps it was the cold.</p><p>A dim amber light appeared from the corner of your eyes, echoing footsteps gradually getting louder with each thump. Was it dinner time already? You hadn’t even eaten yesterday’s yet.</p><p>The same guard you’d seen just about a thousand times by now appeared in front of the frigid metal bars, melting candle in hand. Grizzly beard blanketing his chin and jaw, faint scar mark running over his left cheekbone, and slanted eyes the color of the princess’ silver necklace. A daily reminder of your worst mistake, it would seem. </p><p>He muttered something unintelligible before shoving a tray through the narrow slot, wintry water sloshing about in the small wooden cup with the same chunk of stale bread on the side that always tasted like metal.</p><p>How delicious. The cold had numbed you to the point where hunger was the least of your problems. </p><p>You remembered when you had first gotten here, croaking out a wispy ‘thank you’ to the guard whenever he had given you your food, hoping that he’d take sympathy and give you a bit more, or maybe even get you a blanket. You were foolish back then, you thought solemnly, curling up tighter and burying your face in between your knees. </p><p>Perhaps one of the worst things possible about being in jail was that you had absolutely nothing to do. Sometimes you would try to exercise to keep your blood running through your body and make sure your muscles hadn’t frozen over, but exhaustion constantly hung above you like a stormy cloud. More oftenly, you would make up fantastical stories including dragons and elves and faeries. But after hundreds (or maybe it was just around twenty, but who was counting?) of different stories, your creativity would run short and you would find yourself pausing mid-story, trailing off into a disappointing end of ‘and they lived till they died’.</p><p>Turns out you weren’t going to be bored alone, at least. </p><p>You had been in a fitful slumber when you heard the footsteps approach. <em>That was strange,</em> usually there’d only be the one guard to deliver your measly dinner.</p><p>Curious eyes grew wide when you took sight of two guards holding up an unconscious man, the toes of his worn leather boots dragging against the damp stones of the dungeon ground. </p><p>What you wouldn’t give for a nice pair of leather boots. Your toes twitched in your worn socks at the thought.</p><p>They began stripping him of his clothes, much like they had done to you in the beginning, grunts of exertion leaving them in misty huffs. They left shortly after, grumbling about being ‘fuckin’ cold’. As if they had any right to complain.</p><p>In the dim light of the candles, you could barely make out what the new prisoner looked like. He was slumped up against one of the icy stone walls, dark hair tied into a short ponytail. A low groan escaped the man, foot twitching as he slowly aroused from unconsciousness. </p><p>“Fuck.” His voice came out hoarse and raspy. He pushed against the floor to prop himself up at a better angle. More curses left his lips in a rapid flurry. You watched in timid fascination as he raised a pale hand to dab against his forehead, hissing when he pulled away with crimson staining his skin.</p><p>Looking upwards, he finally caught your curious gaze. </p><p>The two of you stared at one another for a second before he huffed, reaching up to his head once more. This time, his fingers didn’t only pull away with blood, but with a thin hair pin that glinted against the candle’s small flame.</p><p>You hadn’t noticed that your mouth was hanging slightly open when he struggled to his feet, limbs shaking with effort and cold.</p><p>And he started picking the lock, stopping every minute or so to blow his breath onto his quickly numbing fingers.</p><p>After less than ten minutes, the frozen bars swung open with a rusty creak. </p><p>At that point, you yourself had gotten up, eyes widening. You shuffled closer to your own locked bars. It was as if the man had forgotten you were there, flinching when he turned and saw you pressed up against your cell.</p><p>“Don’t leave me here.” You whispered, starting to feel the familiar feeling of desperation clawing at your throat.</p><p>For a second, he looked conflicted. A hard, determined film passed over his eyes and he tore his gaze away.</p><p>“Sorry,” Was all he said. </p><p>And he left, just as quickly as he had come.</p><p>
  
</p><p>Strings of foul curses left his mouth once he was dragged back. And this time, he was far bloodier than before. He barely looked like the same person.</p><p>You had to hold in a breath as they threw his limp body back into the cell, one of them spitting at his feet. Grimacing, you looked away and scowled.</p><p>
  <em>Perhaps if he had let you out as well, the both of you would’ve been able to escape.</em>
</p><p>Ten minutes after the guards had left, the man across from you reached behind his back to pull something out. He didn’t have another hair pin, did he? Would he let you out this time?</p><p><em>Probably not,</em> you thought bitterly.</p><p>The object he pulled out was small and round, a shiny red ball that seemed to glisten beneath the candlelight.</p><p>It made a resonating thud against the stone of the cell, echoing down the halls. </p><p>And he did it again. And again. And three, four, ten times more.</p><p>“Please stop.” You found yourself saying, a headache brewing behind your temple. But your voice was too soft, drowned out by the incessant bouncing of his rubber ball.</p><p>Downing what was left in the damp wooden, you mustered the courage to croakily shriek, “Stop! Please, stop!” </p><p>Startled by your sudden noise, he hadn’t been able to catch the ball’s last bounce, and crimson streaked past as it hit the wall behind him, ricocheting past the jail bars and out into the hallway. You watched silently as it rolled away, until it was far out of your sight.</p><p>“Bitch.” You heard him mutter under his breath.</p><p>You felt the hairs on the back of your neck rise as you sneered at him, “You’re a fool, you know. Thinking you could escape a place like this.”</p><p>“Oh, yeah?” His eyebrows raised while he shuffled closer, pressing his pale face against the cold bars. Now that he was out of the shadows, you managed to get a proper look of his face. He was all bone and skin, dark hair grown a little too long, hazel eyes glinting along with the dim flames. “At least I managed to get out of my cell. That’s probably more than you’ve ever done.”</p><p>If he was trying to pick a fight with you, it wouldn’t work.</p><p>“What’s the point, anyways? There’s only so much out there for people like us.”</p><p>“People like us… ?”</p><p>Your eyes darted to him, and you immediately averted your gaze. It’d been a long time since anyone had properly looked at you. Perhaps under all the blood and grime, he’d actually be quite handsome.</p><p>“Commoners, peasants. We grow up stupid, work until our fingers bleed, and then die from a disease because we don’t have the money for a healer.”</p><p>A low rumble that could pass as a laugh worked its way out of him, “You’re telling me you would rather stay locked up in here than back outside? You don’t want to feel the sun on your face, the taste of sweet fruits, the warmth of another human being?”</p><p>“Of course I do.” You retorted. “I’m just saying that it’s pointless.”</p><p>The man’s eyes narrowed, “How long have you been here?”</p><p>“Too long to keep track.”</p><p>At this point, you couldn’t really tell whether it was refreshing to talk to someone after so long, or just plain annoying. He stayed silent for a moment, before speaking up once more. </p><p>“What got you here?”</p><p>You huffed. T<em>here was no harm in telling him, right?</em></p><p>“I ripped a priceless necklace off of the princess because I was hungry.”</p><p>It was as if his volume tripled when he yelped, “You’re Y/N L/N?!”</p><p>How he had that much energy after getting beaten up twice, was still a mystery to you.</p><p>“The one and only.” You wrapped your arms tighter around yourself. It seemed that you were quite famous in the outside world. </p><p>“That’s amazing.” He breathed out, eyes wide as he leaned further into the bars. “My name’s Wooyoung. I’m your new cellmate.”</p><p>Your eyes flickered to his once more. If you were going to be stuck here with him, might as well get to know him a little better.</p><p>“I’m not your cellmate,” You deadpanned, despite Wooyoung’s disappointed pout. “You’d need to be in the same cell as me to be my cellmate.”</p><p>One of his shoulders lifted in a half-shrug.</p><p>“So why are you here?” Part of you was afraid of what he was going to say. He didn’t really seem to strike you as someone who’d do anything seriously terrible<em>… right?</em></p><p>“I… I just threw one or two punches at the crown prince, is all. And maybe a kick to the groin. And gave him a couple broken ribs.” He laughed a little at that last part, as if the memory amused him. </p><p>“You <em>what?”</em></p><p>Scoffing, Wooyoung flicked his hair out of his eyes, “I think you heard me perfectly clear, sweetheart.”</p><p>A strange feeling blossomed in your stomach. You shuffled a bit closer to your own bars, until the light hit your face. </p><p>“Was it worth it?”</p><p>Wooyoung paused at the unexpected question.</p><p>“Yeah, I would do it again. A million times over.” It was the first time he looked away, a distant glaze over his eyes. “He was touching a servant girl and she was begging him to stop. But he didn’t. So I intervened.”</p><p>A palpable silence laid over the two of you, thick and heavy.</p><p>“Good.” Was all you said. “I’m going to sleep.”</p><p>“I’m pretty sure it’s morning.”</p><p>You ignored him. Time didn’t matter anymore, not to you. Soon enough, he’d stop caring as well.</p><p>
  
</p><p>Hours and days melted into weeks and months, along with the frost on the bars and the icicles hanging off the ceilings.</p><p>At least it wasn’t cold anymore. Everything was wet. </p><p>“Okay… would you rather live knowing how you die or live forever?” Wooyoung asked in queer tone, laying down on the ground with his bare back pressed against the damp stone.</p><p>You bit into a chunk of stale bread, pausing to chew around the hard crust before swallowing, “No one wants to live forever.”</p><p>“Rich people do.” He murmured, flipping over onto his stomach to do some push-ups.</p><p>You averted your eyes. He was right; if you were rich, you would’ve probably chosen the latter option too.</p><p>“I’ll choose to live forever when I get out of this goddamn cell. But for now, we’re sticking with knowing how I die.” The raven-haired man huffed out through each strenuous push-up. He’s been getting weaker and weaker by the day, living off of nothing but crispy bread and metallic water and the occasional measly slice of dry apple.</p><p>“You’re not getting out.” You scoffed. “<em>We’re</em> not getting out. Why do you keep saying that we will?”</p><p>Wooyoung falls flat onto his stomach, blowing his hair away from his eyes in frustration, “And why do you keep saying that we won’t? Do you really think we’re going to die here?”</p><p>Throwing your hands up into the air, mouth full and bread crumbs rimming your lips, you nodded vehemently, “Yes! Look around us, Woo. How on Earth would you plan on getting out? I’ve been trying for <em>forever</em> before you came around. I’m still here.”</p><p>“Yeah, but that was back when I wasn’t here. Now I am.”</p><p>“That’s absolutely <em>great,</em> genius. But guess what? We’re still stuck here!”</p><p>Wooyoung scowled at your salty remark. He crawled closer to the bars looking down the hallway to make sure no guards were near. </p><p>Glancing back to you, he whisper-yelled, “I have a plan.” </p><p>
  
</p><p>“That’s a stupid plan.” You sneered, deadpanning.</p><p>The man across from you rolled his eyes, “It’s the only one we’ve got.”</p><p>“You <em>do</em> know they’ll find out eventually, right? We can’t just go back to our normal lives.”</p><p>“Then let’s run away.” His gaze bore into you as you felt yourself flush heavily. “You and me. We can sneak our way onto a fishing boat, sail off to someplace… not here.”</p><p>A shiver ran up your arms, gooseflesh prickling your skin, “Stop.” You mumbled. “Don’t get my hopes up.”</p><p>Wooyoung grasped the bars tightly, knuckles turning white, “Y/N, listen to me. We can do it. I swear, I’ll get you out of here.”</p><p>It was stupid, you knew it was. But you couldn’t help the small spark of hope flare in the middle of your chest, heart pumping just a tad quicker at his words. Hope was an intoxicating drug; you either get sucked into some sort of deluded fantasy, or live without the illusions of false happiness. </p><p>However, The words left you before you even had a chance to hesitate. “You promise?”</p><p>“I swear on my next slice of dried apple.” He said, eyes twinkling with excitement behind the shaggy, overgrown hair. </p><p>“Okay.” You breathed out, somewhat satisfied. The dull ache in your spine was ignored as you slumped against the stone wall, closing your eyes and imagining what outside was like. All you could recall about outside was how terrible it was. Of course, not as bad as being in here, but not much to look forward to.</p><p>Cracking an eye open, you glanced to Wooyoung, who had curled up into himself in the corner of his cell, slightly obscured by the shadows. </p><p>Life outside seemed better when you imagined yourself with Wooyoung.</p><p>
  
</p><p>“Remember the plan?”</p><p>Wooyoung snorted, rolling his eyes, “How many times have you asked me that now?”</p><p>You scowled, “Just making sure you won’t mess anything up. Can you really guarantee you’re strong enough to knock him out?” </p><p>Biting down on his lip, he shrugged in a nonchalant manner, “I’ll try my best. And if that’s not enough, well… it was nice meeting you.”</p><p>The two of you waited in tense silence for a couple minutes, the expected thudding of boots coming down to give the two of you your meals for the day. The familiar grey eyes of the guard swept over the two of you, bending down your cell first to shove the tray through the narrow slot like he had hundreds of times before. </p><p>Then, he turned to Wooyoung.</p><p>“What’s on the menu today, sir?” </p><p>Stormy eyes narrowed, the guard’s nose wrinkled in distaste, “Th’ same shit you eat every day.” His gravelly voice rumbled, clearly not used to prisoners being able to talk, much less form coherent sentences. “It’s what criminals like you deserve.”</p><p>A gasp of mock-offense left Wooyoung in the most dramatic manner possible, “Why, if stopping a rapist from raping is worse than being a killer and killing, then I must be the worst criminal alive.”</p><p>“You better shut your mouth before I get half the mind to carve your tongue out for you.” The guard spat, nearing closer towards the bars menacingly, one hand on the hilt of his sword. He wasn’t below leaving a prisoner bleeding and tongueless. </p><p>Wooyoung did nothing but raise an eyebrow, “Oh, come now! I’m sure you’ve had your fair share of kills. <em>Especially</em> when you swore an oath to protect a murderous king!”</p><p>Your eyes widened slightly; you had no idea he would go as far as to <em>claim treason. </em></p><p>The guard, however, cackled the ugliest laugh you’d ever heard. “You seem really not to like your tongue, boy. Only, for that comment, they’ll be taking your head along with it.”</p><p>It all happened so quickly, you wouldn’t even have the time to scream if you wanted to. </p><p>Just as the guard leaned closer tauntingly, nose almost brushing against the rusty metal bars, Wooyoung grabbed the front of the guard’s steel collar, yanking him forward into the metal columns with all of his might.</p><p>A sickening crack echoed across the stone. </p><p>It happened again, and again, and three more times after that. Wooyoung was panting, eyes wild.</p><p>“Is he dead?” You craned your neck to try to get a good look, but it was too dark to make out much of anything. </p><p>“No. He’ll wake up with a nasty concussion in a couple hours, give or take.” </p><p>“Where’d you learn how to do that?” You asked, heart pounding far too loudly in your ribcage. The faint sound of jingling almost had you bursting into tears of joy. <em>He had the keys.</em></p><p>A small, non-committal hum emitted from Wooyoung’s cell. “You learn from dreaming about all the different ways you could’ve done that to the crown prince. And thankfully, I got the chance.” Suddenly, Wooyoung appeared in front of your cell, a ring of small keys hanging from his pointer finger, the widest grin spread across his face. “Told you I’d get you out, didn’t I?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>and that's part one !! this story is cross-posted on tumblr, so pls go give it some love over there as well !</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. two.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Put this on.” Wooyoung peeled the coat of steel mail off of the unconscious guard, tossing it somewhere behind him for you to slip into. “And this underneath.” He hurriedly shedded the guard’s thin cotton padding, passing them to you. The clothes were far too big for you, but you supposed they would suffice for the time being. </p><p>“What about you?” You asked quietly while struggling into the undershirt that smelled faintly of old wine. With quivering fingers, you shoved your feet into the spacious leather boots, not bothering to lace up the ends.</p><p>Wooyoung grabbed a thick baton off of the guard’s belt, opting to leave the sword. It was far too conspicuous for either of you.</p><p>“I’ll have to find another guard.”</p><p>“Do we really have to?”</p><p>“It’s the only way we can get across the castle without being detected. There should be two standing in front of the dungeons.”</p><p>A queasy feeling took a hold of you, and you wrapped your arms around yourself.</p><p>“Are you okay?” Wooyoung glanced at you worriedly. You were shaking like a leaf, eyes wide and lips trembling. “We have to go now.” </p><p>“O-Okay.”</p><p>A firm hand clasped onto your shoulder. It was the first time anyone had touched you in literal moons, and you almost found yourself flinching in surprise. “I need you to stay with me, Y/N. This won’t be easy, but we can do it.” Wooyoung’s eyes were determined, unafraid. But yours were just the opposite; you were very much afraid.</p><p>“Okay.” You parroted once more, slightly more relaxed.</p><p>His lips quirked into a half-assed grin, sliding his hand down your arm to fit nicely into your palm, threading your fingers with his. No more words needed to be said. </p><p>Time seemed to slow down when he started pulling you along, and the two of you swiftly ran down the dungeons, stopping at the foot of the stairs. “Once we get up, you have to stay hidden, okay? I’ll knock both of them out and put on one of their clothes and we can walk right out through the gates.”</p><p>The two of you held your breaths as you treaded lightly over the steps. You lingered by the top of the steps, pressing yourself against the stone wall as Wooyoung continued to venture forward. </p><p>It only took about thirty seconds, but it felt much longer than that. A sharp breath was sucked in between your teeth when you heard the hollow crack of the baton landing against a skull. Once, then twice. Then strangely, the sound of ringing steel followed, and muffled gurgling.</p><p>Gulping down your fear, you cautiously emerged from the darkness of the stairs, blinking at the sudden light from the several flames lining the walls. The unpleasant sight of thick velvet liquid pooling from one of the guard’s throats immediately had you shuffling backwards in disgust. A longsword laid askew beside the unmoving body, the silver blade stained with dark blood. A tremor ran up your spine. </p><p>“Did you have to kill him?” You asked in a small voice, turning to Wooyoung, who was staring at the body in shock.</p><p>“I… I didn’t mean to <em>kill - </em>”</p><p>With pursed lips, you shook your head vehemently, “No, there’s no point dwelling on it now. We have to go.”</p><p>He nodded, a distant look etched into his eyes. As quickly as he could, he started stripping the unbloodied guard, refusing to make eye contact with you. After finally tugging the boots on, the pair of you stepped over the two bodies, quickly gaining speed once more. </p><p>“Which way out?” You could practically see the cogs turning in Wooyoung’s head as he squinted his eyes in concentration. </p><p>Silent, Wooyoung turned right, and you reluctantly followed him. </p><p>The sounds of echoing footsteps coming from further down the hallway had the hairs on the back of your neck stand up on end. Judging by the noise, you could only assume there were three, maybe four guards coming this way. </p><p>“In, now!” Wooyoung hissed, grabbing you by the back of the collar and hauling you through the first door he wrenched open. It turned out that he had shoved you into a musty storage cell that held nothing but cobwebs and faded, dusty banners and three sacks of crumbled coal.</p><p>The two of you pressed your ears against the wooden door, holding your breaths as the knights tramped their way past, guffawing at each other as if they were drunk.</p><p>“I’m going upstairs after lunch; Nick said he’s left a whore for me by the gate for my Nameday. Gonna have to go snag her up after we eat or else someone else is going to have their way with her,” One of the guards said. You shot Wooyoung a meaningful glance, and he nodded in return.</p><p>“Oi, Jon, you aren’t spending your Nameday with your lads anymore, are ya? Too good for us now, huh?” The voices trailed off into blurred nonsense as they got farther away.</p><p>You waited, and waited, and waited some more. Until finally, Wooyoung shouldered the splintered wooden door open again, sticking his head out to make sure the guards were gone.</p><p>“Upstairs,” You whispered. “We have to follow them.”</p><p>An idea popped into Wooyoung’s head, his eyes lighting up dangerously. His hand dove into one of the bags of coal, coming out with a palmful of blackened powder. </p><p>“What are you - !” Without warning, his thumb stuck out to wipe across the bottom half of your face. The unpleasant smell of smoke and ash filled your lungs and you swatted him away with a cough. “Wooyoung!” </p><p>“Just let me do this.” Wooyoung said in a somewhat soothing tone, smothering more coal onto your face. “It’ll make you look more like a man. You need to pass as one to get by the gate.” </p><p>Eyebrows furrowed while he coated your chin and jaw with your ‘beard’. </p><p>“Handsome as ever.” You weren’t sure how Wooyoung could be joking at a time like this. “Too bad I’m already a man, I would’ve loved to have you rub coal all over my face.”</p><p>Sending him a withering scowl, you marched your way ahead. </p><p>The rest of the journey upwards went surprisingly smoothly. A little too smooth, you thought suspiciously. Neither of you had come across any guards, and you soon came to realize that it was because it was luncheon hour; everybody was gathered in the mess hall. It sounded like they were celebrating. No doubt something stupid and pointless. It was as if they threw a party every time the King let out a belch. You and Wooyoung tried to pass by as inconspicuously as possible, tipping your heads towards the floor. You couldn’t help but sneak a glance to the large, spacious room occupying what couldn’t be less than two hundred people. </p><p>Plates and glasses of honey roasted venison and buttered herb potatoes and spiced cranberry juice and powdered apple pastries lined the tables neatly. You distractedly wondered if the King was somewhere amongst them, dining with the rich Lords and Ladies of his kingdom, laughing as wine sloppily dripped from his beard. In your head, you personified the King to be a disgusting excuse of a man, but you knew that was far from the truth. </p><p>Wooyoung jerked you out of your hunger induced state, gently tugging you along.</p><p>“Come on.” He whispered. </p><p>Clenching your shaking fingers, you forced yourself to walk along, praying that no one would turn and look. To them, hopefully you’d just look like a random guard who had a bad hangover. </p><p>“I see the gate.” He said breathily as you two rounded a corner. </p><p>It was the first time you were in direct sunlight since before they locked you up. You expected to be happy, grinning broadly and basking in the bright glow as it warmed your skin. But you raised a hand to shield your eyes and cursed as the light had you reeling backwards in surprise to blink the purple and green spots away. You’d forgotten just how bright the sun was.</p><p>“Oi! You two!” A loud voice called out from behind you.</p><p>Wooyoung went frozen next to you. Slowly, the two of you turned around. You ducked your head to make sure the guard couldn’t get a clear look at your face, heart drumming into your ears. The beard Wooyoung had hastily painted on you would fool no one if they looked for long enough.</p><p>“Where yer’ goin’? Have yer’ had luncheon yet?”</p><p>“I’ve got a whore waiting for me by the gate.” It was scary how well Wooyoung could lie.</p><p>A dopey smile spread across the guard’s thin lips, “Wicked. Both you and Jon, ey? Where’s <em>my</em> whore?” With that, he hobbled off, a golden goblet that you hadn’t seen before sloshing carmine wine over the sides. </p><p>“Too close,” Wooyoung cursed under his breath.</p><p>And just like that, the two of you sauntered up to the gate as casually as possible, Wooyoung even boldly sending an astute nod to the guards on duty. The two of you walked right out of the castle. Two fugitives messily dressed as knights, striding right out from under the King’s nose. </p><p>The more you thought about it, the more ludicrous it sounded. </p><p>“We made it.” You said, strangely calm. </p><p>“We did.” Wooyoung replied, voice equally leveled. “We need to get out of these clothes.”</p><p>Again, the two of you took off to a bolt once far out of sight of the gate-keepers. The wind slashing against your face, the warmth of the sun toasting your skin, and the strange looks you were getting from the few passersby had both you and Wooyoung cackling madly with adrenaline. The air smelled sweet; thick with the gentle warning of rain, heavy with the odor of fireplaces and chocolate from the homes lining the stone pathway.</p><p>There were various articles of breeches and blouses and undergarments clipped onto a clothesline from outside somebody’s window. You skidded to a stop, halting Wooyoung by grabbing his elbow and yanking him back into the narrow alleyway. </p><p>“They won’t mind if we take just a few, will they?” Deep down, you would’ve felt bad for even considering stealing, but what choice did you have?</p><p>The dark-haired man tutted at you in mock-disappointment, although the mischievous twinkle in his eyes told you he wasn’t at all serious. He started grabbing all sorts of clothes, tugging them down from the line. You followed suit, although a tad more reluctantly, pulling on woolen breeches and a simple white shirt.</p><p>“Where do we go next?” You asked, tossing aside your old garments and tugging on the new clothes, not really caring if Wooyoung was getting an eyeful at this point. Hopefully no one would pass by the alleyway, or it would be an awfully difficult situation to explain.</p><p>“I’ve got a friend,” Wooyoung muttered while buttoning up a loose cream-colored tunic. “His name’s Yunho. He’s a baker, lives on the outskirts of town… should only take us a couple hours to walk there.”</p><p>After making sure nobody was around, the two of you plodded out of the alleyway, looking (for the most part) like ordinary, middle-class civilians. You silently prayed that the people you had taken from wouldn’t suffer too much. <em>Bad people don’t wonder if they’re bad people,</em> you thought, trying to cheer yourself up. </p><p>Still a little apprehensive, you gently asked so as to not anger Wooyoung’s judgement, “Can we trust him?”</p><p>He merely glanced at you from the corners of his eyes before smiling broadly, “Of course we can. We grew up together.”</p><p>
  
</p><p>The journey to Yunho’s house was quite uneventful. Less and less people were seen the farther you walked from the center of the city, buildings gradually replaced with lush greenery and fields of grazing cattle. For the most part, you and Wooyoung remained in comfortable silence, an occasional remark passed between you. At one point, Wooyoung even started humming a broken, loose rhythm to a lullaby everyone knew as a child. You were so distracted by the breath-taking sunset splayed across the horizon that you barely noticed the small cottage hidden behind the obscurity of a rather large garden.</p><p>“We’re here.” Wooyoung said, something akin to raw emotion lacing his words. </p><p><em>What if this person doesn’t trust you? Would he kick you out to the street and leave you to fend for yourself? Or would he recognize you and turn you back in for a pouch of gold? Was it even a good idea to stay with Wooyoung? What would happen if you tried to run away by yourself? </em>Your head swam dizzily with question after question, each one making you feel more and more antsy. It was as if Wooyoung could sense your unease as he slipped his hand into yours and squeezed your palm tightly, nodding reassuringly. </p><p>After three quick raps to the wooden door, an immediate blundering could be heard from inside. A muffled <em>‘Ah, fuck, my toe!’</em> was emitted from behind the thin barricade, and Wooyoung stifled his laugh with a cough. You, however, were in no mood to fool around, heartbeat pounding in your ears as you gnawed on your lip anxiously.</p><p>When the door opened, you were surprised to be met with a giant of a man, his face screwed up in pain as he pawed at his foot. Despite this, he was evidently quite handsome, hair the same shade as cherry blossoms in the spring, a flustered blush glazing his pronounced cheekbones. It was fascinating to watch as his expressions morphed from pain to shock to confusion to pure, undulated joy. And when tears started misting his round eyes, Wooyoung dropped your hand to limply wave at him.</p><p>“Hey buddy.” The lame words barely left him as Yunho lunged forwards, pulling him into a crushing embrace. The tall man sobbed loudly into Wooyoung’s shoulder.</p><p>“I thought they’d kill you!” Yunho wailed. “Everyone thinks you’re dead!”</p><p>“Thankfully not,” Wooyoung patted Yunho’s back warmly. “Did you guys hold a funeral for me?”</p><p>Yunho pulled away to send him a withering glare, “Don’t you joke about that. Let’s get you inside, you have to tell me everything that’s happened.”</p><p>And all of a sudden, his eyes were on you. You felt your blood run cold as he looked you over suspiciously.</p><p>“Who is this? And why have they got their face all covered with grime?”</p><p>Oh. You’d forgotten about that. Slightly subconscious, you tried to rub off the black powder from your face with your shirt sleeve, but to no avail as all it did was smudge the black stain up to your nose.</p><p>“I’m Y/N. I… I am - er, was, Wooyoung’s cellmate. Well, actually, we weren’t really cellmates. He was in the cell across from mine. We escaped together. He did most of the work, really, but he managed to get me out as well.” You were rambling at this point, words tumbling out of your mouth embarrassingly quickly.</p><p>Yunho stared at you with his mouth agape, “Y/N? Like the Y/N L/N that stole the princess’ necklace?”</p><p>Ah, maybe it would be wiser to start using a different name from now on.</p><p>Before you could reply, Wooyoung interrupted impatiently, “This is really nice and all, but Y/N and I can’t really afford to stand outside looking pretty. Can we talk more inside?”</p><p>“Oh. Yeah, of course. Come in.”</p><p>Yunho’s house was pleasantly quaint, a small living room branching off to the left and a slightly larger kitchen sat at your right. A winding staircase in the corner curled upwards to what you assumed to be the bedrooms. The walls were a sandy hue, air smelling of maple wood. </p><p>“You two must be starving.” Yunho said while grabbing a few napkins to swipe away the few lingering tears. “I’ll start making dinner. Why don’t you go wash up? There’s fresh clothes in the drawer upstairs.” He gestured to the staircase, shooting Wooyoung a meaningful look that could only mean that he wanted to talk to the man alone.</p><p>Your heart already felt much lighter, “Thank you, Yunho. Truly.”</p><p>The pink-haired man nodded your way kindly, before rounding on Wooyoung with a stern demeanor in a complete one-eighty, “I swear to the Gods, you better have a good<em> fucking</em> explanation for where you were these past few months.”</p><p>You had to stifle a laugh at Wooyoung’s trepid expression as you climbed up the staircase towards the bathroom. A shower sounded like absolute heaven right about now… how long has it been since you’ve last washed yourself? The closest thing to a shower you’ve had in the past month was when the guard with silver eyes tossed a bucket of frigid water onto you while you were asleep, snorting evilly when you woke up spluttering for breath.</p><p>The bathroom was the first door to the left. It was startlingly clean, save for the pair of Yunho’s socks hanging behind the door. Sea shells lined where the dusky walls met the floors, a circular window introducing light into the room. Bars of milk soaps and fruit soaps and honey soaps were stacked in the shower’s holder. Before you got in, you paused by the sink and grabbed a tube of mint paste, squeezing some into your mouth to swirl about. Being clean was the best feeling in the world, you thought delightfully with the prickingly fresh sensation in your mouth. Clothes were hastily shed, and you clambered into the shower, shivering at the cold shock that ran along your spine. </p><p>It took a while, the shower head sputtering droplets of water that were either scorching or freezing. You fiddled with the silver taps a bit more, arching your back away from the steaming water that left red imprints on your skin.</p><p>After the temperature cooled down slightly, you stepped into its direct stream. And when the water hit your face, you just about dissolved into tears of relief. The relief then faded away into a deluge of overwhelmed turmoil. Your sobs were broken and cracked as you fell into a crumpled heap at the floor of the shower, allowing the warm water to rinse you down. Cries ricocheted dauntingly in the small bathroom, and you subconsciously wondered if Wooyoung and Yunho could hear you from downstairs.</p><p>Even though you hadn’t finished crying, you pushed yourself back onto your feet and grabbed a bar of honey soap and scrubbed. You scrubbed like your life depended on it; in every crevice, nook and cranny, and three times more, not stopping until your skin was raw and abuzz. You made sure to clean your face off as well, hopefully getting the last of the charcoal beard out. Fat droplets of water dribbled down your scalp, and you grabbed a bottle labeled ‘hair soap’ and squirted out a generous amount of cream to lave into your hair. </p><p>You hadn’t realized just how long you spent under the stream of water until the door pounded with Wooyoung’s tirade of knocks. Over the loud shower, you could just about make out Wooyoung’s voice screaming, “Y/N! Some other people need to shower too, you know! If you don’t get out in five minutes, I’m coming in whether you like it or not!”</p><p>Scowling, you hurriedly hosed away the remaining bubbles and turned off the shower with great disappointment. You tied a towel of white linen around yourself, stumbling towards the door. </p><p>Wooyoung was on the other side, hands on his hips as he cocked an eyebrow at you.</p><p>“You clean up nice.” He said. You couldn’t really tell if he was being sarcastic or not.</p><p>“And you’re still filthy.” You quickly shot back, largely side-stepping around him.</p><p>“Because <em>you </em>took too long in the shower. I was starting to think you were waiting for me to join.” You wrinkled your nose in distaste at his words. Much to your relief, Wooyoung broke out into a genuine smile and pointed to the door across from the bathroom. “Spare clothes are in there.”</p><p>He disappeared into the bathroom as you brushed past him.</p><p>This must be Yunho’s bedroom, you thought as you inspected the unmade bed and several articles of clothing haphazardly strewn around the room. A large drawer sat to your right, and you tugged open the top compartment. Grabbing the first tunic you saw, you slipped it over your head, blowing away a strand of damp hair from your eyes and unwrapping the linen towel from your still-damp form. The shirt was far too large for you, smelling strongly of cinnamon and something earthy.</p><p>After pulling on an arbitrary pair of dark slacks that you had to continuously roll into cuffs, you ambled out of the room. Awkwardly, you stood between the stairs and the bathroom. Were you to wait for Wooyoung to finish or were you supposed to go down and thank the host? Manners weren’t something you necessarily had time to practice down in the dungeons. </p><p>Nibbling on your bottom lip, you made your way down the stairs. </p><p>“Oh, you’re done. Dinner’s almost ready.” The pink-haired man was busy tending to something in a fry pan over a blue flame, cocking his head to the side to wave at you before returning back to his cooking.</p><p>“Thank you. For the shower, the food… and for not handing my ass back in.” You said, voice quite shaky, much to your own dismay.</p><p>Yunho turned off the blue flame, pouring steaming fried egg rice with carrots and potatoes from the pan into a large plate. Your stomach gave an achy growl at the sight. A loud chortle escaped him as he said, “No need to thank me. It’s the least I can do.” He eyed you for a moment before waving his spatula in the air. “You know, you’re something of a hero around these parts. Common folk think of you as a character in a legend someone made up.”</p><p>“I… I don’t follow.” </p><p>“What you did to the princess, of course. No one in recorded history has ever stood up to blood-royalty before, much less a commoner. It tarnishes their reputation, you see. The nation of Cerulea wants to be known as the civilized folk who’d never do something as brutal as to kill someone. No, they’d only just leave you to rot in a jail cell. Of course, I wasn’t exactly sure what they had done with Wooyoung, so everyone who knew him just assumed the worst. But from what I can tell, they kept you and Wooyoung locked up down below where no one can ever see, hoping that both of your names would some day fade away into some twisted children’s folktale. And that’s exactly what’s happened. All you are is a rumor now.” Yunho pulled a chair back from the table, gesturing for you to take a seat. </p><p>You were deathly silent, trying to process all the information he had just relayed on.<em> You? A hero?</em> As far as you could recall, you were just hungry, was all.</p><p>“Wooyoung disappeared just two moons after he started working in the castle -”</p><p>“Wooyoung worked in the castle?!” You interjected, tearing your eyes away from the plump rolls of bread in a basket set in the center of the table. </p><p>“Figures he never told you.” A lopsided grin etched itself across Yunho’s lips. “He wasn’t proud of it. Was a squire for some lord that had taken a fancy to him; only did it because he had some foolish hope to become a knight. And one day, there was a nasty story going around about a squabble between the crown prince and a servant girl and a squire. I just knew it had to be Wooyoung. Slowly, the rumors died down and it was almost as if it never happened. Like a candle flame blown out in a hurricane. I tried to contact Wooyoung, but I never got any letters back. I suppose I know why now.”</p><p>Yunho grabbed a roll of floured bread and tossed it over to you. You caught it with a grateful nod, immediately biting off a generous chunkful.</p><p>“Wooyoung mentioned that you grew up together.” You said around a mouthful of sweetbread.</p><p>Yunho pulled out a flagon of honey-sweetened apple cider, tipping the frothy golden liquid into a smaller cup for you. He slid into the chair across from you and smiled at the memory your words brought forth.</p><p>“We were only children back then. Wooyoung’s my best friend, and it broke me when I never got any letters back. At first, I thought I had done something wrong. Then I thought he was dead. And then… well, the two of you showed up at my door.”</p><p>“I’m sorry.” You said, cradling the cup in your hands.</p><p>Yunho waved away your apology, “Don’t be. You’re here now. That’s all that matters.”</p><p>“We can’t stay here for long.” Wooyoung’s sudden voice had the both of you whipping your heads to the staircase. Dark hair still dripping with droplets of the shower, he shuffled forwards and plopped onto the seat next to you. </p><p>Floundering for words, Yunho stared at Wooyoung with a stricken expression laying heavily over his usually softer features.</p><p>“What? You’re leaving me already?”</p><p>“You know damn well that we can’t stay.” Wooyoung grabbed a roll of bread, gratefully groaning as he practically stuffed the whole bun into his mouth in one bite. It was deathly tense for a few seconds afterward, the only sounds being Wooyoung’s incessant chewing and your slurping of the cider. “We’d be putting you in danger if we stayed here too long. The lord I squired for read all of the letters I received because he was a nosy prick and thought you were some sort of lover of mine. He knows who you are and once he hears that I’ve escaped - which won’t be long from now - he won’t hesitate to inform the royal guards.”</p><p>Yunho almost looked like he was about to burst into tears.</p><p>“But… but you can’t leave me! Not again! I can keep both of you here, keep you safe. I can lie to the guards once they come for a search! We can hide you in the cellar down below. Please, please, Wooyoung, you can’t leave.” His words picked up speed and he turned to you out of desperation. “Come on, Y/N, where will you go? You’d be safer here.”</p><p>It was tempting. The thought of having three warm meals a day, a cleansing shower, and being able to sleep in an actual bed all had you hesitating. But you knew Wooyoung was right.</p><p>“Yunho,” You said sympathetically. At your tone, the pink-haired man deflated, shoulders drooping. “Yes, it just might be safer for us to stay. We both wish we could. But we’d put you in danger and that’s a risk neither of us are willing to take.”</p><p>“If they caught us, who knows what they’ll do. The kingdom of Cerulea might want to seem like pompous bastards who turn their noses away from death, but who’s to say it’s not all just an act? They can snuff out gossip like the flip of a switch. We might’ve gotten away with it the first time, but the second time… I’m not sure they’d spare as much mercy. Besides, everyone already thinks I’m dead. And Y/N is nothing more than a fictional character now. They’d have nothing to lose for killing us.” Wooyoung ranted almost nonchalantly, scooping heaping ladles of fried rice into a wooden bowl, tendrils of steam wafting into the air.</p><p>“Then I can come with you.” Yunho said, gripping the table cloth so hard that his knuckles turned white.</p><p>“No.” Wooyoung said.</p><p>At this point, Yunho started to look genuinely angry. “No? You can’t fucking tell me what I can and can’t do.”</p><p>“You have family. People who care about you,” Wooyoung gently reminded the taller man, pausing mid-bite. The tension was so incredibly thick that you’d forgotten to continue eating. Yunho released the table cloth and crossed his arms over his chest. “Yunho, we’ll see each other again. I don’t know when, or where, or how, but this isn’t the end.”</p><p>“What if it is?” </p><p>You felt your heart drop to your stomach at his whispered words. Somewhere outside, a bird hooted. It seemed as if Wooyoung was at a loss for words at that. Instead of replying, he just spooned more rice into his mouth. You decided to follow suit, your stomach letting off a pained growl. </p><p>“When are you leaving?” Yunho asked in monotone, sipping quietly on his own mug of apple cider.</p><p>“Tomorrow morning.”</p><p>The man across from you swallowed heavily. He visibly bit back the urge to ask if the pair of you could stay longer. Knowing how stubborn Wooyoung was, there really wasn’t any point as to argue with him any further.</p><p>“Where will you go?”</p><p>Wooyoung raised a finger while he was chugging down his second glass of the sweet golden nectar, Adam’s apple bobbing frantically. You rolled your eyes off to the side. </p><p>“We’ll get a boat. A small one that wouldn’t catch any attention.” You stated, locking eyes with Yunho’s semi-curious, semi-concerned hazel ones. “And then we’re sailing for Virelis.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. three.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The gentle hum of chirping crickets filled your ears as you pushed open the circular window in Yunho’s room. A breezy gust of the night’s crisp air billowed in, blowing pleasantly over your flushed skin.</p><p>“You can sleep here for the night,” Yunho had said while shoving rumpled clothes off the bed and stuffing them into a rucksack. “I’ll take the couch.”</p><p>“I haven’t slept in a real bed in a long time,” You murmured, dropping yourself onto the thick blanket with a contented sigh slipping past your lips. “Thank you, Yunho.”</p><p>The pink-haired man flashed you a sweet smile, and padded out the room with a soft good night. It seemed as if he had given up trying to convince the two of you to stay, reluctantly accepting that you would be leaving in the morning. After he left, you cracked an eye open to see Wooyoung standing awkwardly by the doorway. </p><p>“Good night,” He said. It was the first time he’d really seen you at ease; your face void of dirt and hair unmatted and a rather pretty smile teasing your lips upwards. Back when the two of you were in the prison cells, he never really had the chance to look at you properly. But now, as he watched you happily lounge star-fished atop Yunho’s bed, Wooyoung couldn’t help but realize just how attractive you were. The light from the oil lamp casted long shadows over your face, only illuminating your features all the more so. </p><p>“It’s not too late yet,” You whispered, and Wooyoung sat down on the foot of the bed when you gestured him closer. “I’m afraid if I fall asleep, I’ll wake up back in the cell. And you wouldn’t be there… like all you were was a dream.”</p><p>Wooyoung had little else to say than, “I’m not a dream.” And he reached out to take your hand once more, trying his best to comfort you, but clearly to no avail judging by your skeptical expression. </p><p>The both of you could tell the other didn’t want to leave. Wooyoung got up nonetheless, scratching the back of his neck rather bashfully. You wanted so badly to tell him to stay. To ask him to hold you longer. To have him tell you that it was going to be okay.</p><p>Instead, you bit your tongue and watched as he left the room, blowing out the oil lamp on the way. The room lapsed into darkness. You shut your eyes, shifting to crawl under the blankets with heavy limbs. The weight of what had happened earlier that day was suddenly crashing back onto you, and you shuddered at the thought of escaping the hands of death just a hair’s breadth away. And then you prayed to whichever being out there that would listen. </p><p>
  <em>Please, don’t let this be a dream. Please let him be real.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Wooyoung couldn’t sleep. No matter how hard he tried, and no matter how ridiculously comfortable the bed was, he just couldn’t seem to succumb into the alluring realm of unconsciousness. </p><p>So, he did the only sensible thing he knew. He threw the woolen blankets off his legs and made a bee-line straight for your room. It must’ve been hours since he left you, wide eyed and scared on Yunho’s bed. It was probably just the guilt gnawing away at him.</p><p>He really hoped this attraction he felt to you was purely physical. That would most definitely cause some problems later on if he didn’t sort it out soon. But Wooyoung wasn’t one to confront his internalized emotions head on, and decided to put it off for some other night of existential dread. For now, he was content with just knocking on your door at an ungodly hour of the night.</p><p>“Come in,” Your voice was muffled through the wooden barrier, and it creaked lowly as he pushed it open. “Can’t sleep?” You asked softly, propping yourself up with your elbow.</p><p>His dark hair flew into his eyes as he shook his head. </p><p>“You can say no if you want,” Wooyoung started tentatively. You could barely make out his figure in the dark, squinting at him through slotted, tired eyes. “Can I sleep here tonight? I can sleep on the floor, I just… I think I got used to you being there.”</p><p>Even in the dingy room, Wooyoung could sense your surprise.</p><p>“The bed’s big enough for both of us,” You croaked out. </p><p>Wooyoung wondered if you were thinking straight.</p><p>“Are you sure?”</p><p>“I couldn’t sleep, either. Kept thinking about you.”</p><p>“I’m flattered,” Wooyoung said, trying to suppress a grin as you shuffled to one side of the bed to make space for him. It was strangely natural, how he laid in the spot next to you, the bed dipping under his weight. Your back instantly molding into his front, a barely-there hum of content released from your closed lips. His nose was in your hair, arms hesitantly laying over your midriff. When you didn’t give him any sign to stop, Wooyoung tugged you closer and whispered like a love-sick fool, “You smell good.”</p><p>He could feel your stomach contract as you laughed heartily, “We smell the same. We smell like Yunho.”</p><p>“Just take the compliment.” He grumbled. </p><p>And then suddenly, you turned in his arms, your face alarmingly close to his. His eyes widened comically, heart just about ricocheting out of his ribcage. Balled-up fists rested against his chest; he wondered if you could feel the thundering of his pulse. Alright, so maybe this attraction wasn’t<em> purely</em> physical.</p><p>“Tell me you’re real,” Your voice was a mere wisp of a thing. His ears strained to hear you properly.</p><p>He replied in a gentle tone that just about had you melting into him with a relieved exhale, “I’m real.”</p><p>“So, Virelis, huh?” The words were whispered, a hint of amusement dancing at the open-ended question. Wooyoung’s eyes flicked down to your lips. His vision had adjusted to the dark so he could see you just fine, but now he was starting to wish he wasn’t able to see you. He didn’t really fancy the idea of you kicking him out of bed for being inappropriate. </p><p>“Do you have another place in mind?” </p><p>“No, just… it was unexpected. Yunho certainly seemed unsure.”</p><p>“He’ll come around.”</p><p>A pregnant silence laid over the two of you.</p><p>“You don’t have to come with me, you know,” Wooyoung spoke in a muted tone, unsure. “I don’t want you to have to feel like you owe me some sort of debt.”</p><p>Pulling back slightly, you shook your head vehemently, “No! I’ll come with you because I <em>want</em> to. Besides, Virelis is probably the smartest option for us. Considering the possibility they won’t shoot us down the moment they see us. We might look Cerulean, but we can’t change that.” At Wooyoung’s doubtful look, you repeated once more, “I want to come with you.”</p><p>Before Wooyoung could think twice about his words, he blurted out, “Now that’s a sentence I’d never thought I’d hear from you.”</p><p>It took a second for you to piece together the connotations of his words. You scowled deeply, hitting him square on the chest, “Oh, don’t be a child. I’m going to sleep. We have a long day tomorrow.”</p><p>“Don’t go to sleep angry at me,” Wooyoung pleaded with a playful smile on his face. You tried to shift back to your original position, but he kept a firm hold on you, leaning down closer. The previous wavering tension that hung over the pair of you dissipated, leaving Wooyoung in a spur-of-the-moment confidence. </p><p>“Then make it up to me,” You said quite breathlessly, eyebrows raised at him with a teasing lilt. </p><p>Perhaps Yunho spiked the apple cider, or maybe the two of you were just desperate to have some sort of physical comfort, or it was the fact that you somehow managed to look absolutely ethereal beneath the moonlight. Up this close, he could see the small details; the fading scar across the bridge of your nose, the hint of charcoal still smudged under your jawline, and your enticing lips, slightly parted as you stared up at him. </p><p>“And how should I do that?”</p><p>“Promise me you won’t snore, and I’ll die happy.”</p><p>Wooyoung pulled a funny face, which had you reeling in laughter, “I was hoping you’d propose something else.”</p><p>“Oh? Like what?”</p><p>Instead of answering, he lifted a hand from your waist to your chin, bringing your face upwards towards his ever so slowly. Your lips met in the middle, warm and tasting faintly of mint paste. Dark hair was threaded in between your fingers as you raised your arms to loop around his neck. Somehow Wooyoung managed to tug you even closer, sealing any remaining distance the two of you had between each other. The kiss started out slow and delicate, but was quick to become frantic and rushed. His hand slipped under the large shirt that you borrowed from Yunho, his cold fingers a stark contrast to your burning warmth.</p><p>“We should be sleeping,” You muttered once he broke away for breath, gently leaning his forehead against yours.</p><p>Smiling, Wooyoung said with a cocked eyebrow, “Am I really that bad of a kisser?”</p><p>“Quite the opposite, in fact. If we keep going, I don’t think we’d be able to stop.” Suddenly, your words become more serious. “I don’t think <em>now</em> is the right time for… this. Whatever <em>this</em> is.”</p><p>Wooyoung ran his tongue over the back of his teeth in thought, then nodded slowly. “You’re right… we need to rest up for tomorrow.”</p><p>Arms unwound from around his neck, and he let you go back to your original position, the curve of your back resting against his chest and his hand precariously placed on your hip. </p><p>“Y/N,” He breathed out, sneaking one last kiss against your shoulder blade. “Tell me you’re real.” </p><p>“I’m real, Wooyoung,” You said through a yawn. “Good night.”</p><p>
  
</p><p>The glare of the early rising sun filtering in through the circular window hit you square in the face. You groaned sleepily, burying your face into the cotton pillow but to no avail; the room was light and you were already awake, despite your tired muscles pleading for more rest.</p><p>The spot beside you was cold from absence, and you sat up whilst rubbing your knuckles into your droopy eyes. Wooyoung wasn’t there next to you, and you couldn’t help but wonder if last night was nothing but a mere figment of your imagination.</p><p>The blanket slipped off of you as you clambered from the bed and onto the colder floor and padded out the room to go downstairs. It was then that you heard the faint chattering of Wooyoung and Yunho’s light-hearted banter, the aroma of honeyed banana oatcakes and hot coffee making your stomach growl. Yunho was the first to spot you, waving you over to the table, where Wooyoung was already helping himself to his third serving. </p><p>“Sorry we didn’t wake you up earlier,” Yunho said while pouring you a cup of dark coffee mellowed out with almond milk. “Wooyoung said you deserved the rest.”</p><p>Your eyes flickered to said man in the seat across from you, who averted his gaze as a faint red blush settled across his cheekbones. Doubt started to cloud your mind; had you really imagined last night? It had all felt so real.</p><p>“I hope you two didn’t get up to anything weird last night. It’s <em>my</em> bed, after all.” Wooyoung hit Yunho on the shoulder with a half-hearted glare. </p><p>Oh. So last night <em>had</em> happened. You weren’t sure if that made you feel better or worse.</p><p>Clearly flustered, you raised the steaming cup to your lips and took a generous sip. The plate of honeyed oatcakes was pushed across the table to you, Wooyoung sending you an awkward grin. </p><p>“I packed you guys everything you’d need,” Yunho said in a tone that was much less cheery, sadness flooding his expression. He gestured to bulky packs that were slumped against the table legs, “Food, bottles, extra clothes, medical supplies, some weapons, matches, maps, a coffers’ worth of gold and silver coins, but I doubt those would be worth much in Virelis - ”</p><p>You cut off the pink haired man’s rambling by gently placing your hand over his, “Yunho… we can’t take all this. It’s too much.”</p><p>“If I’m not going with you, then this is the least I can do. You guys need this stuff more than I do.”</p><p>Although reluctant, you nodded gratefully, finishing off the rest of your breakfast.</p><p>“Well, it’s time to go,” Wooyoung said uneasily once the food was all cleared away, heaving one of the packs onto his shoulder. Tears glossed over both of their eyes as they embraced each other warmly. “We’ll send letters when we can, bud.”</p><p>That seemed to make Yunho brighten up considerably as he swiped away the tears. He turned to you, engulfing you in a tight hug.</p><p>“While you two were asleep, I ‘borrowed’ a boat from the fishermen. It’s waiting for you by the river.” He mumbled while you gripped him back.</p><p>“Oh, Yunho,” You said in awe, almost tearing up yourself. “I really can’t thank you enough.”</p><p>“Just… look after him, will you?” He jerked his chin to the dark haired man who watched the exchange with fond eyes. </p><p> You planted a solid kiss on Yunho’s cheek, watching his features morph in surprise, “I will. I promise.”</p><p>
  
</p><p>The river was loud. It just about drowned out Wooyoung’s voice, but you didn’t have the heart to tell him that you hadn’t heard a single bit of what he’d been talking about for the past five minutes. With a strained smile, you nodded at him feverishly. He seemed to be somewhat satisfied at your response. </p><p>Just as Yunho had promised, there was a small boat tied to a wooden stake, half in the water and half laying on the rocky riverbank. The two of you heaved the surprisingly heavy raft fully into the water, panting while dropping your packs in. </p><p>“Are we going to talk about what happened last night?” Wooyoung suddenly asked, face an alarming shade of red, though you couldn’t tell whether it was from embarrassment or from pushing the boat. You almost tripped and face planted into the waters at the unexpected question.</p><p>“Well… what is there to talk about, really? We didn’t have sex.”</p><p>“Does it have to be sex to mean something?”</p><p>You went quiet at that. Wooyoung swung his legs over into the boat, and you followed suit as he helped you in.</p><p> “I don’t know, Wooyoung. Of course it meant something to me. I just don’t think it’s the best time.”</p><p>Thankfully, he didn’t seem to be upset, “Yeah, I understand. We can talk when you’re ready, then.”</p><p>The two of you lapsed into a comfortable silence as you picked up the damp oars hanging off the sides. Meanwhile, Wooyoung went digging through his pack to look for a map and a compass. Inside the boat, it felt much smaller than it looked from the outside; your knees kept bumping into Wooyoungs’ with every minuscule rock of the boat. </p><p>“We’ll be sailing for a couple days. Should be nice weather around this time. Might get a little sunburnt, but that’s not much to worry about. You aren’t afraid of sharks, are you?” Without awaiting your response, he continued to droll on. “When we get to Virelis, we need to immediately state who we are. They’ll take us in once they realize that we’re on their side.”</p><p>“What if they don’t believe us?” You said while maneuvering the oars to keep the boat steady.</p><p>“They have to,” Wooyoung muttered firmly. “Why would a pair of Ceruleans willingly walk into Virelis? That’d be suicide.”</p><p>“We could be spies.”</p><p>“Well, are we spies?”</p><p>“You know that’s not what I meant - ”</p><p>The boat suddenly jolted as the two of you broke out of the river and spun into the ocean. You struggled to keep hold of the slippery wooden oar shafts, sending a withering glare to Wooyoung, who seemed unperturbed by the disturbance. </p><p>“You don’t have to keep rowing, you know. The wind’s taking us in the right direction. At this rate, we’ll be there in three or four days max.”</p><p>Hesitant, you lowered the oars and folded your hands in your lap awkwardly. Were you to spend four days uncomfortably staring at Wooyoung? What were you going to do to pass the time?</p><p>As if he could hear your thoughts, Wooyoung said without raising his head from the map, “Yunho packed in a book for you. Thought one of us’d get bored eventually, the idiot.” </p><p>“Wooyoung…” you fiddled with your fingers in uncertainty. “Do you think we’ll ever go back to Cerulea?”</p><p>Finally he tore his gaze away from the map, raising a quizzical eyebrow, “Why would you ever want to go back?”</p><p>“I don’t! It’s just… it’s all I’ve ever known.”</p><p>Wooyoung’s eyes softened. He gently reached out to take your hand in his, “It won’t be for long. Virelis will be great for you, trust me.”</p><p>“Have you ever been?”</p><p>A sad smile crossed his face, “Not officially, no. I’ve seen it on the horizon while sailing to another country, though.” You thought he’d elaborate more, but Wooyoung opted to stay silent for once. The more he seemed to talk about his life, the more adventurous and exciting it seemed. You wondered why he threw it all away to be a measly squire for some lord.</p><p>The quiet between the two of you stretched out for quite some time. It was a comfortable silence, one that you spent studying Wooyoung’s side profile. He knew you were staring, so he took the opportunity to murmur, “I don’t regret it. Kissing you, that is. I’m sorry if I was weird about it before.”</p><p>You struggled to hold off a flattered smile, “You don’t have to apologize, Wooyoung. I think I was just scared. It’d been so long since I’ve touched anybody, and then… you came along. It was just so sudden and I felt as if I wasn’t allowed to touch anyone because I’m a filthy, disgusting commoner. Like… I don’t deserve you.” You gestured vaguely towards him, and he captured your hand swiftly. </p><p>“You deserve more than me,” Wooyoung wound your fingers together, pressing a feather-light kiss to your knuckles. Then, more hesitantly, he added on, “Not to sound creepy or anything, but while you were showering… I heard you crying. And it just hurt so much to hear you in pain. Even more so when I knew that I couldn’t do anything to help.” </p><p>A small scoff escaped you, “Wooyoung, you broke me out of prison.”</p><p>“Oh, right.”</p><p>Those were the last words either of you said for a long time. The sun was quick to set hours later, the sky a warm blend of pinks streaking against orange and blending into darker royal purple. You had fallen asleep while reading the little adventure book Yunho had packed, face sticking onto one of the pages. Wooyoung thought you were cute, what with your cheeks smushed against the paper and a subtle pout tugging at your bottom lip. Since he kissed you last night, his thoughts consisted of little else than Virelis and, much to his dismay, your lips. </p><p>By the time you had groggily peeled yourself off the book, blinking blearily, it was already dark. The moon was frighteningly bright, casting a hazy pearl-hued glow onto the waters.</p><p>“Had enough beauty sleep?” Wooyoung teased, nudging your knee against his. </p><p>“It’s your turn,” You drawled out through a yawn. “I’ll make sure we stay on course.”</p><p>He nodded gratefully, handing you the map and curling into a little ball on his side of the boat. He must’ve been exhausted, falling asleep just about immediately, deep breaths raising his chest up and down in rhythmic motions.</p><p>Being alone with your thoughts now had you thinking. First, you thought of Virelis, and the several promises it held. Just one wrong step, and everything would come crashing back down on you. What were you doing, really? Did you actually plan on spending the rest of your life with Wooyoung, running away from Cerulean guards? What other choices did you have? There was always the option of running away by yourself. But you knew you couldn’t do that; you’d gone and gotten yourself attached to the sleeping man on the other end of the boat. </p><p>Besides, Wooyoung was the closest thing you could call family now. You couldn’t just let someone like that go.</p><p>
  
</p><p>He’d been asleep for only an hour or so when you spotted something amongst the horizon. The sky was still heavily laden with darkness save for the glowing moon, sun showing no signs of rising any time soon. Because of this, you took quite some time squinting into the dark waters to see what was there. </p><p>At first, you were keen on brushing it off as a jagged rock sticking out of the water, and turned back to the map unfurled across your lap. But something didn’t sit well with you, a queer gut feeling told you that something felt wrong. So you looked back up and stared some more.</p><p>“Wooyoung,” You hissed underneath your breath while prodding the man across from you. “Woo, wake up.”</p><p>He stirred and mumbled irritably before pushing himself up. His hair was sticking up every which way, eyes tired and droopy.</p><p>“What is it?” He asked, voice groggy. “The sharks won’t hurt you, just leave them be.”</p><p>“It’s not sharks, Wooyoung. Look,” You lifted a shaky hand to point behind him. </p><p>There, floating starkly against the harsh glare of the moonlight, was the silhouette of a large pirate ship. And it was turning straight towards you.</p><p>“Shit. Shit, shit, shit! Stay quiet, maybe they’ll just pass right by us.” Wooyoung, now completely awake, muttered curses under his breath as he seized the oars, quietly dragging them through the water to carefully push your much smaller boat out of the pirate ship’s pathway. </p><p>It was hard to stay positive, especially considering the fact that the ship was practically barreling towards you at an alarming rate, as if it was gliding just above the waters. As it grew closer, it seemed to multiply in size, causing both you and Wooyoung to suck in a large breath. </p><p>Despite the darkness, you could clearly make out a large flag hung proudly off the main mast, a banner of crimson and gold depicting a gleaming skull sitting in a pool of blood and swords. Wooyoung squinted at the flag, a variety of colorful swears tumbling past his lips. Blindly, he let go of one of the oars to grapple for your hand. His fingers wrapped around your wrist and you let him hold you as your pulse rang through your ears.</p><p>You wanted so bad to just close your eyes and pretend like the ship wasn’t there. But of course, that was far too much to ask for. For the first time in a long time, Wooyoung looked to be scared. His grip on your hand tightened and that had you faintly wondering if this was the end. </p><p>“Whatever happens, we won’t be going down without a fight,” Despite telling you to be quiet, Wooyoung supposed it didn’t matter now; they were coming whether you liked it or not. You had nothing to say in reply, so you nodded slightly, heart racing.</p><p>Water stirred around the boat restlessly when the pirate ship skidded to an abrupt halt beside your smaller vessel. Several men looked over the side of their ship with dark, glinting eyes reflecting the orb in the sky, stared down at the two of you greedily, whooping and leering. As if they’d done this a thousand times, they threw over several claw hooks attached to ropes, the jagged metal digging into the rickety wood of your boat. You and Wooyoung desperately attempted to paddle away whilst simultaneously trying to unhook the sharp metal from the boat. </p><p>The pirates were much quicker. They hollered as they slid down the hookline with exhilarated whoops, grabbing both you and Wooyoung with calloused hands and rough ropes that cut into your flesh. Struggling, the two of you yelled and shouted and fought against them but, alas, they were used to this. One of them struck you against the back of the head. The world went spinning and you came tumbling down with a mangled yelp, the boat rocking dangerously. </p><p>Spots of black and purple and green dotted your vision. Everything seemed to blur together. You faintly recalled Wooyoung bellowing your name in panic, and then someone binding your limbs together none-too-gently before hoisting you up onto the ship’s deck as if you weighed little more than a feather.</p><p>The ship smelled strongly of alcohol and salt and something else foul that you couldn’t quite decipher. You only realized that you were crying when the stingingly hot tears pricked your cheeks as you wailed for Wooyoung, who had also been bounded and tossed onto the deck. His head hit the planks particularly hard, a fresh cut dripping a dark crimson blossoming across his forehead. The rest of the pirate crew seemed to be enjoying this, egging the fighting pirates on as if you and Wooyoung were part of an entertaining theatrical play. </p><p>He was putting up much more of a fight than you did, growling and thrashing and biting into the pirate’s arms until they yelped and pulled away with teeth marks embedded into their skin. He even managed to loosen one of his arms from his binds and reached out towards you, but a pirate stomped on his hand and dragged him back by the boot, showcasing his crooked teeth with a grin.</p><p>“Stop!” You sobbed. “Please, stop!”</p><p>Either they didn’t hear, or they just didn’t care. One of them hoisted you up to your feet and you frantically kicked at his ankles but he merely laughed and tightened the knots on your binds to secure you against the main mast. You watched in horror as they rounded on Wooyoung, throwing punches and kicks and spitting at him. </p><p>“Wait, no! Please, no, let me go! Wooyoung!” You screamed until your voice grew hoarse and struggled against your bonds so hard that your skin was raw and bloodied.</p><p>Eventually, they pulled Wooyoung up to his feet. The sight of him, broken and anguished, bloodied and bruised and exhausted, shattered your heart into a million pieces. You were sure they had broken several of his bones, noting the way he wheezed and shuddered. </p><p>“Wooyoung!” There was a deafening roar of applause as the pirates jeered and taunted. Wooyoung locked eyes with you, despair clouding his features. Your head was pounding heavily and you were crying so hard that you could barely see much of anything. And yet, through all the tears and dirty pirates, you saw his face starkly against the chaos, and his forlorn, defeated expression was what drove the dagger right through your ribs. It looked like he was about to say something, but it was too painful to speak. You knew that if he could, he would probably say, <em>‘I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.’</em></p><p>Hiccuping, you cracked open your mouth to weakly croak out his name once more. </p><p>
  <em>No. No, no, no. I can’t… I can’t lose him.</em>
</p><p>Their laughs echoed into the night, a looped song of victory playing broken and distorted in your numbed mind. And just like that, they picked him up as if he was a rag doll… the man that you grew to love and care for… and they tossed his limp, broken body overboard. The resonating splash of the ocean was loud and clear, mimicking the feeling of your stomach plummeting to the ground. </p><p>It’s funny, isn’t it? How you realize how much you loved someone just when they’re gone…</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>,,,,,, sorry for the cliffhanger lmaoo i swear it'll get better !!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. four.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As a child, a popular tale you often heard was one depicting a man stranded on an island, throat dry with thirst and stomach void of nourishment. He passed out in exhaustion by the beach, just on the brink of death. But before his soul could fade away, the mermaids took pity on the man of skin-and-bones and brought him underwater, breathing life back into his lungs. He contentedly lived the rest of his life as a merperson.</p>
<p>Although stories like those always had happy endings, they could never really make you smile, unlike how all the other children reacted. What about the people the man cared about when he was on land? Had he just completely forgotten about them to selfishly live an easier life underwater?</p>
<p>The same thoughts ran through your pounding head repeatedly as you dully stared out into the gleaming ocean. From where you were, bound tightly against the main mast, you had a clear view of both the ship’s deck and the waters. You couldn’t really remember how long you’d been tied up… if you could recall correctly, they had only thrown Wooyoung overboard just last night. That felt like an eternity ago. </p>
<p>All thoughts of mermaids and fairy tales and Wooyoung dissipated from your mind once a pirate stepped into your view. In the daylight, they were far less scary than when you had first encountered them. The pirate had bronzed skin verging on being sunburnt, and sharp eyes of molten gold. A red bandana held his hair out of his leering face, and you noticed a dark branding burn of a sword ran through a skull embedded on his chest, partially covered by his loose tunic.</p>
<p>The man tutted, grabbing your chin between two fingers. It was then that you realized just how tired you were; you hadn’t gotten any sleep, instead spending the night struggling against your bonds and crying after Wooyoung.</p>
<p>“Let me go.” Your voice was so hoarse that it didn’t sound like yours anymore.</p>
<p>The pirate merely grinned and shook his head.</p>
<p>You wracked your brain for a second before spitting out, “Isn’t it bad luck to have a woman onboard? Your ship will sink if you keep me here.”</p>
<p>“Why, you must have nothing but worms between your ears,” He cackled in a sinister manner. “That’s just a silly little myth, sweetheart. Women are more than welcome here.” With those words, he ran his eyes over your tense form. <em>A predator surveying its prey.</em></p>
<p>Much to your relief, the pirate stepped down. That feeling didn’t last very long, however. Just as he slid back, more pirates filtered into your view, clearly just having woken up to start the day. There were so many eyes on you; some curious, some disinterested, and some boldly staring with unsavory expressions.</p>
<p>“I say we make her do the dirty work,” One with golden teeth chimed. “Scrub the decks, clean the chamber pots.”</p>
<p>“We should toss her overboard. We don’t need another mouth to feed.”</p>
<p>“Keep her tied up there! A pretty thing like her should be on display for everyone to see!”</p>
<p>“We can drop her off at the next port and sell her off as a slave. We could use the extra gold.”</p>
<p>“Awh, don’t you think we should keep her? Ain’t half bad to look at.”</p>
<p>Those were only just a few snippets you could make out in the midst of the tumultuous roaring of the pirates as they yelled their suggestions over each other. They grew progressively louder as more ideas came into mind on what they should do with you. Panic brewed within you, but your limbs were tired and your mind was numb. All you could do was stand and watch.</p>
<p>The pirates immediately quietened once a one-eyed man with a peg leg hobbled out of the navigation room. The soft <em>clunk, clunk, clunk</em> of the wooden leg against the planks was not unsimilar to the rapid thundering of your heartbeat.</p>
<p><em>This is the captain,</em> you thought. It was obvious, what with the way the pirates shut their mouths tightly and bowed their heads down to their chests. Some even trembled on the spot. If Wooyoung were here, he’d laugh at them.</p>
<p>Oh, how you missed him. </p>
<p>The captain had a voice of pure silk, a stark contrast to his ragged appearance. In a quietly powerful tone, he stated firmly, “We leave her here until we reach Aurecia. Then we sell her off.” After a tense pause, he sternly added on, “Nobody touches her until then. Aurecians pay well for unspoilt women, so if any of you lot come <em>remotely</em> close to her, I’ll have your heads.”</p>
<p>The diminutive consolation you received from the captain’s commands ebbed away slightly when you thought more about what he was saying. They were going to sell you off as a slave in Aurecia. And if you could recall the map correctly, Aurecia was the opposite direction of Virelis, where you were supposed to be going. To top it all off, Cerulea and Aurecia were trusted allies, and that could mean nothing good for you.</p>
<p>“No!” You suddenly interjected in a croaky voice, throat so dry it felt like you had sandpaper in your mouth. “Please, don’t take me there. I need to go to Virelis. Please, you can sell me there!”</p>
<p>Everybody stared at you in complete befuddlement. The captain gaped at you with one narrowed eye and spat out, “Virelis doesn’t take slaves. Don’t play games with me, girl.”</p>
<p>Out of desperation, pleading words frantically poured out of your mouth before you could stop and hesitate, “Then <em>don’t</em> sell me! I’m useful, I swear!”</p>
<p>“Forgive me if I have difficulty believing you,” The captain said in a bored tone, gesturing to your bleeding, tied up form. </p>
<p>A frustrated huff escaped you as you hissed out, “I’m Y/N L/N! I was the one that stole the princess’ necklace! I’m a valuable asset and you’d be <em>lucky</em> to have me on your crew.”</p>
<p>A stunned silence washed over the pirates. Then, one by one, they started laughing. They snorted and chuckled and slapped their knees as if you had told them the funniest joke in the world. You half-heartedly attempted speaking again, but your voice was drowned out by their howling laughter.</p>
<p>“SHUT THE FUCK UP BEFORE I FEED YOUR SORRY ASSES TO THE SHARKS!” The captain bellowed, his velvety tone long gone. He had his arms crossed tightly over his chest, a scowl pulling at his lips. </p>
<p>The lot of them snapped their mouths shut so quickly you could hear their teeth clacking against one other. </p>
<p>“Y/N L/N is nothing but a legend,” The captain stepped closer to you, his one eye narrowed in suspicion. “I don’t know, nor do I care for why you’re lying, but it better not become a problem. I’ve already got one crew to deal with. I don’t need to add a raving lunatic onto the list.”</p>
<p>“Please!” You wiggled against your bonds slightly, wincing at how the coarse rope fibers scratched at your chafed skin. “Why would I lie?! You’ve got to believe me, I’m Y/N L/N, I’ve been in jail for a long time and I’ve only recently escaped with the man you tossed overboard. Please, we can go bring him back, he can tell you, I - !” </p>
<p>The words lodged in your throat. It was pointless, trying to convince a haggle of savage pirates to go back for someone they tossed to the sharks. There was a sort of heavy pain deep down in your chest, and you brokenly blew out a sigh. The feeling churned at your insides uncomfortably. It might’ve been the sea sickness, but you knew it was a nasty combination of guilt and panic and regret.</p>
<p>The captain noticed your abrupt change in demeanor, but decided not to comment. Instead, he said stoically, “Y/N L/N is a wonderful character in a legend told to scare children and I would absolutely love to meet her. But unfortunately, I don’t think I’d ever get the pleasure to. She’s not real.” You stared into his one eye, tears welling up in your own. “And about the man we tossed over… he put up a real fight and he wasn’t worth the trouble. He’s probably long gone by now. It’d do you good to forget about him.”</p>
<p>Pirates behind the pair of you started snickering, but were quietened when the captain straightened and just about snarled out, “DON’T YOU HAVE WORK TO DO? GET ON WITH IT, YOU STINKY BASTARDS!” </p>
<p>They scrambled in a panicked fashion, a few of them running into each other as they dashed in opposite directions, others clumsily slipping on the damp plank wood, and some merely ran like headless chickens with no definite direction in mind. </p>
<p>“They’ll treat you well in Aurecia, girl,” The captain slipped back into his velvety tone once more. You supposed this was his way of apologizing… or, the closest thing to an apology you’d ever get from a pirate. “Just try to accept it and it won’t seem as bad. This lot here won’t hurt you in the meantime. I’ll make sure of that.” He gestured to the rest of the men who were settling back into their daily routines. You were surprised to see that they were already hard at work; manning the sails, scrubbing the decks, navigating the ship, so on so forth. The life of a pirate definitely wasn’t an easy one. </p>
<p>You said nothing in return, staring blankly at the glinting ocean. The hollow <em>clunk, clunk, clunk</em> of his peg leg fading away was a sure sign that the captain was gone. You couldn’t bring it in yourself to watch him go.</p>
<p>This was most probably the worst possible time to cry. At this point, you were surprised your sore eyes could still manage to produce tears, considering how dehydrated you were. It was obvious that some of the pirates were still watching you, pausing mid-job. You tried to ignore them and hung your head sullenly as dry sobs rumbled in your chest.</p>
<p>You were stuck floating in a gigantic cesspool of saltwater, and yet your body had the audacity to produce even <em>more</em>. It was this very water you were bobbing on that most probably filled Wooyoung’s lungs as he gave up his last breath. The thought did nothing but make you weep harder. </p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Pirates really had no designated time to have luncheon and supper, but their stomachs all seemed to revolve around roughly the same hours. By the time the golden of the sun was grazing against the deep green waters and the sky was bleeding a strange shade of amaranthine, they were all shouting out complaints of hunger and trotting to the small kitchens below deck to have supper. </p>
<p>You were hungry, but also sure that if you had even a morsel of bread, you would heave it right back out. The day was spent with you gazing at the rocking waters, bustling pirates, and the large, tattered flag that hung proudly way above you. On occasion, you tried pleading to the pirates who were passing by, but none of them so much as glanced towards you. It seemed as though they took their captain’s orders to heart. </p>
<p>And so, after hours and hours of being neglected, imagine your surprise when one particular pirate sheepishly walked up to you, a little after all the others had disappeared below the deck to eat.</p>
<p>At first, you hadn’t noticed the quiet man because you had your stinging eyes shut, trying to block off the last and harshest glares of the sun as it sank under the edge of the world.</p>
<p>He cleared his throat once, and your eyes flew back open, startled.</p>
<p>“You must be starving,” He said. </p>
<p>The first thing you noticed about him was the strangely soft shade of pink his hair was. It wasn’t unsimilar to the color of Yunho’s hair, and you found yourself wondering how the kind giant of a man would react knowing that you lost Wooyoung. </p>
<p>“Oh,” He gestured to the brightly-hued strands on his forehead. “I’m half fairy. Everybody looks at me funny when they first see my hair.”</p>
<p>Snapping out of your thoughts, you observed the man in front of you suspiciously. You had little to say in reply to the strangely personal fact he told you, and so you bit down on your tongue and let silence further consume you.</p>
<p>He had an angular face and complementing sharp features, but he bore a timid expression in an unexpectedly stark contrast. What was this fairy-man doing on a pirate ship? He didn’t look at all like the rest of the crew. The others were sunburnt and filthy and rugged. He, however, was somewhat well kempt, skin void of burns and scars and dirt. A loose cream-hued tunic was hung over broad shoulders, barely slung over his hardened chest, a leather belt tightened around the small of his waist and tucked into black trousers. It was quite a dignifying outfit in comparison to the rest of the crew clad in dirty rags and stolen clothes that didn’t match in the slightest. But for that, you could understand. Seeing the pirates randomly throw on haphazard articles of clothing, you thought back to when you were on the run with Wooyoung, stealing clothes off of drying lines and changing into whatever would fit.</p>
<p>The only thing that pushed the strange pink-haired man more towards the ‘rugged pirate’ side was a silver lip ring glinting with the late sunlight from the side of his bottom lip. In his eyes you saw gentle kindness, but you knew better than to trust him just yet. </p>
<p>“Are you hungry? I can sneak something up for you while everyone’s busy stuffing their face full.” He had a voice of honey and silk, tempting you to accept his generous offer. But you kept your mouth shut.</p>
<p>“I understand,” A sad, empathetic look crossed his face. “Sea sickness is the worst the first couple of days. From there, it’ll gradually get better once you get used to it. But please, drink some water.”</p>
<p>From out of nowhere, he brandished a pretty silver chalice and held it up to you, the metal stingingly cool against your lips. You would’ve been stupid to turn down the water, so you leaned forward slightly and slurped at the drink so quickly that some sloshed down your chin and dripped onto your chest. </p>
<p>“I can get you some more later,” He said, pulling the cup away as you gasped for air. “But I have to tell you something important first. My name is San, by the way.”</p>
<p>He had a name that roughly translated to ‘mountain’ in Old Cerulean. You thought it was a rather pretty name… fitting for such a pretty man.</p>
<p>“I just wanted to say this while no one was around,” San sucked in a deep breath, steeling his quaking nerves. “I believe you.”</p>
<p>The water had certainly drowned away the scratchy burn in your throat, so you were free to painlessly stutter out, “W-What?”</p>
<p>“I believe you,” He repeated. “It’s like you said… why would you lie?”</p>
<p>“You believe that I’m Y/N?” Your voice raised an octave or two higher, to which San shot you a warning look and glanced behind him as a precaution. If anybody heard or saw either of you, the captain would have his head. “Why?”</p>
<p>Hope was a dangerous thing. It muddled your brain and clouded your consciousness, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. So you looked upon the pink-haired pirate dubiously, furrowing your eyebrows.</p>
<p>“I might be the most gullible man out there,” San snorted, raising a hand to rub against the back of his neck. “You kinda fit the description in all the stories and legends. And you don’t look like you’re lying… I don’t know… it must be the fairy blood in me. My mother always knew when I was lying or telling the truth. She used to tell me that good people only truly lie when they want to protect others. But… you don’t have anybody here to protect. Not anymore, anyways.” There was a guilty, remorseful sort of look that flooded his face. </p>
<p>You were so relieved that you could’ve burst into tears right then and there. </p>
<p>“And… that man the others threw overboard… he kept saying your name. You might’ve had reason to lie to us, but he didn’t. Especially not then.” San spoke gently in a low tone, as if he were speaking to a frightened child. Something painful twisted in your stomach at his words. “So… yes, Y/N, <em>I believe you.</em>”</p>
<p>Then he leaned forward and quickly swiped his cool thumb over your damp cheek. You only then realized that you <em>were</em> crying again, flinching away from his touch at first, before relaxing your tensed muscles. </p>
<p>“Thank you,” was the only thing you could properly croak out. There were so many things you wanted to tell him. <em>Help me. Let me out. Bring Wooyoung back. Take me away from here. Why are you helping me? What are you doing here</em>?</p>
<p>Although none of your erratic thoughts were heard, you sagged in relief when he said, “I’ll try to talk to the captain about making a stop in Virelis.” As a tentative afterthought, he added, “I’m sorry about your friend.”</p>
<p>“I loved him,” You croaked out, surprising even yourself. “I didn’t know that I did.”</p>
<p>San flashed you a sad smile, “Some people never realize. You’re lucky that you did.” Then, he murmured after gesturing to your bloody hands and wrists, “I’m also sorry about them hurting you. I have a special coconut extract lotion that treats wounds and burns very well. I’ll try to sneak up something for you to eat, as well. We’ll have to wait until it’s completely dark, though.”</p>
<p>You had so much to tell him, so much to ask, so much to thank him for. The fairy-man rotated on the stub of his heel to walk away, and you whispered out, “San!” He glanced back at you with a curious expression, and you nodded your head, sincerely grateful, “Thank you.” The questions could wait, you supposed.</p>
<p>A smile so wide spread across his lips that his eyes almost disappeared. Around savage pirates practically all his life, he rarely ever heard those two strangely comforting words. He dipped his head politely and walked away, leaving you to your own overwhelming thoughts.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Sleep had taken you under its dark wing a little while after San left, however fitful and sporadic. Your head pounded as your swollen and aching eyes fluttered open, somewhat surprised to see that it was still dark. <em>Where was San?</em></p>
<p>Then, as your consciousness shook away the foggy webs of sleep, your brain registered a faint singing voice. However, it wasn’t just any rotten pirates’ singing voice; it sounded as if a woman was wailing, but in the most beautiful way possible. The trembling vocal chords pierced through the night sky, high-pitched and ringing in your ears melodically. It was a song in a language you couldn’t understand, but the warbled words molded together sounded pure and whole, just about placing you under a trance. But of course, you were still quite dazed and confused from slumber, unable to clearly hear the singing voices. On top of that, the water seemed to be extra loud, splashes and waves thundering against the boat almost every five seconds.</p>
<p>Tired, you rolled your stiff neck. Strangely, you noticed that the deck in front of you was void of any pirates. Glancing to the side, there was not a single soul to be seen manning the navigational wheel. Your neck ached as you craned it to look upwards, squinting at the crows’ nest, just to see that it was equally empty. <em>Where are they?</em> you thought absent-mindedly.</p>
<p>The singing was getting louder, and you had to physically shake your head to get your mind out of the gutters. The ropes strained against the skin of your raw wrists even more when you shifted to look behind you.</p>
<p>The sight that you were met with had you reeling against the mast in panic. </p>
<p>Sirens. Dozens of them, sitting on moldy rocky ledges jutting out of the ocean waters. They were beautiful creatures, smooth skins tainted a faint green and shimmery silver hair just long enough to drape wetly over their breasts. They bore seductive expressions and parted their full lips to croon out the mesmerizing song in unison.</p>
<p>And the splashing against the boat? With a choked gasp of horror, the undisputed mystery of where all the pirates had gone was answered. One by one, they were marching off the planks, plummeting into the salty ocean waters, swimming as if their life depended on it, closer and closer to the beckoning sirens. They all held entranced expressions, some with gaping mouths and others with fully blown pupils of adoration and lust.</p>
<p>The sirens were far enough where you weren’t fully under influence, but much too close to be clear of mind. You had to count yourself lucky for being female; it was known that sirens had stronger effects on men. But you didn’t have much time to spare.</p>
<p>You suddenly became short of breath in panic. Where was San? Had he already jumped off? Blowing out a shuddering sigh, your neck trembled with great effort as you angled yourself to look back again. It was easy to spot his brightly-colored mane, the pink starkly bright in the moonlight.</p>
<p>“SAN!” You screamed to the best of your abilities, voice scratchy from your previous slumber. For a second, the fairy-man seemed to twitch slightly into your direction. A particularly high-pitched note echoed across the waters, just about slicing through any hesitation San might’ve held. Just like that, he turned completely away from you with a stupefied look, before hopping off the ship and plunging into the ocean.</p>
<p>A scream of protest ripped through your throat. There was no time to think… you could already feel their lulling voices numb the corners of your mind…</p>
<p>
  <em>No. No, I have to get out of this. </em>
</p>
<p>With a quick glance back, a flare of hope ignited somewhere within your chest when you spotted a dagger just behind you, buried in the fraying wood of a grog barrel. Its handle was jutting out in your direction, the crooked blade void of rust and gleaming with reflected moonlight. Excruciating pain shot through your right arm as you twisted your wrist about, desperate to be freed of the knot. The hardest part was getting your hand through the tight loophole, groaning at the throbbing sensation.</p>
<p>After frantically yanking yourself upwards, you managed to wrench your right wrist free, covered with blood and scratches and blisters. Then, with no time to spare, you reached as far as you could behind you, towards the barrel. Your bones ached and cracked under the strain, but you pushed through with gritted teeth. Tears ran down your twisted features from the pain. With a final shriek, you lunged and wrapped your blood-slicken fingers around the hilt. The sick sound of your left shoulder popping had you screaming in pained misery, but there was no time to lament. You’d fix it up later.</p>
<p>It took little effort to extract the blade out of the rotting wood. You prayed not to drop the dagger as your hand trembled ruthlessly. Swallowing dryly, you raised the blade to your left wrist, and began hacking away at the ropes.</p>
<p>They were tough, coarse things, but gave way eventually, unraveling with each strand. You didn’t even have to cut through the whole thing until it was weak enough to break on its own. </p>
<p>
  <em>You were free. </em>
</p>
<p>The sirens’ song grew louder and louder, and frantically, you wobbled away from the mast and to the side of the ship, steadying your shaking legs against the rail. Every fibre of your being screamed at you to stop and jump into the water, swim to the beautiful melody that came from just over there…</p>
<p>“No!” You managed to moan out. Your left arm was completely useless; you weren’t able to move the limb at all. The tearing of your shirt as you somehow managed to rip off the sleeve rang in your muddled head alongside the foreign words quavering through the air. You used the dagger to slice the cloth in half, and shoved each piece into your ears. It was disgusting and uncomfortable, but it would have to suffice. The sirens’ voices sounded little other than muffled hums, and though you had to stay cautious, you could already feel your mind clear tremendously.</p>
<p>The last of the pirates had just clambered off the side. You would’ve heard the large splash he made as he cannon-balled into the waters if it weren’t for your make-shift ear plugs.</p>
<p>You were tired. You were thirsty, aching, sleepy, and just about every other bad feeling one could possibly have. Unfortunately, the ship was still heading right towards the sirens, no doubt turned off-course by a crewmate heavily under their influence.</p>
<p>And so, you dragged your heavy limbs over to the navigational wheel, letting out a soft tormented wince when the small act of curling your quaking fingers around the wooden spokes were enough to send what felt like great electric shocks of pain up your spine. Then, you spun the wheel one-handed, over and over and over again until the massive beauty of a ship leaned away from the sirens (who were clearly enraged, hissing and baring their sharp teeth), silkily gliding over the waters. Warm ocean air billowed into your face and tousled your hair, and for the first time since you’ve gotten onto the ship, you didn’t feel like throwing up. </p>
<p>A part of you felt bad for leaving San, the only pirate to show you even just a morsel of empathy. Who knows, maybe he’d survive. He <em>was</em> half fairy, after all. You muttered out a soft soft wish of good luck for the pink-haired man, though you doubted that would do much.</p>
<p>Your mind was quick to leap from the fate of San to a man who’s been in your life for much longer. Where would you be if it weren’t for him?</p>
<p>Wooyoung wasn’t one to just… give up like that. He couldn’t be dead. Perhaps you were being a fool for holding onto hope, but you would gladly welcome that title if there was even the slightest chance that he was still out there, alive and breathing.</p>
<p>And so, you steeled your nerves by drawing in a grand breath. Your lips settled in a firm, determined line.</p>
<p>You were going to go find Wooyoung.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>Where were you to start?</em>
</p>
<p>Dozens and dozens of maps and scrolls were tossed about as you pillaged through the papers, in search of a chart that would actually be of use to you. Much to your dismay, there weren’t any maps whatsoever that held the directions to Virelis. There goes that plan down the drain. Where else was there to go?</p>
<p>The sling that held up your left arm was procured hastily from the medbay after you popped your dislocated shoulder back into its socket with a quailing shriek. The pain had faded into a dull ache, but at least now you could wiggle your fingers. That was a good sign, you supposed. Your stomach was full with what you could find in their kitchen pantries (which was mostly just stale biscuits and half-cooked fish), and to be honest, you felt better than you have in a long, long time, despite the circumstances.</p>
<p>There was still the problem of finding him, though. If you could recall correctly, you were only around a days’ sail away from where they had kicked Wooyoung off.</p>
<p>But that would mean turning back to Cerulea. And that… definitely didn’t sound smart. You rubbed your fingers against your throbbing temple, taking a long swig of refreshing water from a pitcher. Gentle light was filtering in through the small circular window, illuminating the yellowed maps in such a way to make them look golden. There was no time to appreciate the simple beauty of this, however, because a stupid, moronishly foolish, plan was forming in your head.</p>
<p><em>What if you went back to Cerulea?</em> Would Wooyoung be waiting for you there? Maybe he was staying with Yunho while he got back on his feet. After all, it’s not like he could swim all the way to Virelis, especially with how injured he was. Cerulea was a much closer, safer plan. It was the only place he could go, right?</p>
<p>Unease twisted your stomach at the thought of going back to the country that locked you in a dark dungeon for moons upon moons upon moons. Deep down inside, you knew that no part of Wooyoung would ever willingly go back to Cerulea. Not after all he went through trying to get out. But what else were you to do? And even if he weren’t there, at least you’d be able to inform Yunho on what happened. Then the sweet giant of a man could help you find him.</p>
<p>You stood up, compasses and maps slipping off your lap, respectively clanging and fluttering towards the ground noisily. With large, determined strides, you exited the navigational room and to the main deck, where the steering wheel was situated. Warm, salty breeze whispered against your ears, calm and encouraging.</p>
<p>“I’ll find you, Wooyoung,” Your words were swiftly stolen by the wind. You hoped that gale would be kind enough to carry the message over to him, however impossible it was.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Halfway across the world, laid an unconscious dark-haired man, clad in nothing save for his smallclothes and bandages tightly wrapped around his skull. He was situated stiffly atop a narrow bed, scars and bruises still quite fresh and clearly visible against his paler-than-usual skin.</p>
<p>Wooyoung awoke with a startled choke of a gasp, sore eyes flying wide open. There was a searing pain in his abdomen as he sat up, wheezing and hissing in agony. He took in his surroundings with a panicked demeanor, gaze landing on the mildly surprised fair-headed figure with striking green eyes standing by the doorway, fresh bandages in his palms. <em>He’s an elf,</em> Wooyoung realized after a long moment of gaping, noticing the ever-so-slightly pointed ears poking out beneath silvery locks and the infamous nature-woven clothes only elves wore.</p>
<p>“Took you long enough,” He said in a thick Elvish accent, followed by a beguiling snort. “I thought you would stay asleep forever. I’m Yeosang.”</p>
<p>Wooyoung blinked sluggishly once, twice, and a third and fourth time for good measure. He knew very well that he should probably answer. After all, elves were widely known to be an easily offended kind. But for the love of everything he held dear, he just couldn’t seem to crack his lips open. </p>
<p>The two stared at each other awkwardly for a second more. Then promptly, his eyes rolled into the back of his skull as his upper half crumpled onto the bed, instantaneously returning into the sweet relief of unconsciousness.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>and the plot thickens 👀 dkfjdf</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>comments and feedback are always welcome :3 i'd love to hear all of your thoughts !!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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